Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council elections are generally held three years out of every four, with a third of the council being elected each time. Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, generally known as Wigan Council, is the local authority for the metropolitan borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2023, 75 councillors have been elected from 25 wards.
Summary of the council composition after council elections, click on the year for full details of each election. Boundary changes took place for the 1980 election, and more recently the 2004 election – which increased the number of seats by three. Both needed the whole council to be elected in those years.
| Year | Labour | Conservative | Liberal Democrats | Community Action | Independent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 66 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1975 | 61 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1976 | 56 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 51 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 56 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 64 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | New ward boundaries |
| 1982 | 61 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1983 | 60 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 60 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 64 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 62 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1988 | 63 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 64 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 63 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 61 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 61 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 66 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 69 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 70 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 70 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 69 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 65 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 60 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 42 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 0 | New ward boundaries[1] |
| 2006 | 43 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 46 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 42 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 7 | |
| 2010 | 51 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 9 | |
| 2011 | 58 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2012 | 63 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |
| 2014 | 62 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 2015 | 64 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2016 | 65 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 2018 | 60 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2019 | 57 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| 2021 | 57 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| 2022 | 61 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 2023 | 64 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | New ward boundaries[2] |
| 2024 | 64 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| By-election | Date | Incumbent party | Winning party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orrell by-election[3] | 1984 | ||||
| Bedford and Astley by-election | 21 February 1985 | ||||
| Swinley by-election | 28 March 1985 | ||||
| Orrell by-election | 17 October 1985 | ||||
| Beech Hill by-election | 1994 | ||||
| Aspull-Standish by-election | 13 March 1997 | ||||
| Ince by-election | 26 June 1997 | ||||
| Hope Carr by-election | 6 November 1997 | ||||
| Beech Hill by-election | 5 November 1998 | ||||
| Hindsford by-election | 2 December 1999 | ||||
| Atherton by-election | 5 April 2001 | ||||
| Hope Carr by-election | 7 June 2001 | ||||
| Hindsford by-election | 25 October 2001 | ||||
| Leigh Central by-election | 26 September 2002 | ||||
| Douglas by-election | 16 June 2005 | ||||
| Tyldesley by-election | 28 June 2007 | ||||
| Wigan West by-election | 20 September 2007 | ||||
| Wigan Central by-election | 18 October 2007 | ||||
| Wigan West by-election | 10 July 2008 | ||||
| Wigan Central by-election | 3 March 2011 | ||||
| Pemberton by-election | 4 April 2013 | ||||
| Winstanley by-election | 24 October 2013 | ||||
| Douglas by-election | 13 November 2014 | ||||
| Astley Mosley Common by-election | 19 October 2017 | ||||
| Shevington with Lower Ground by-election | 14 December 2017 | ||||
| Leigh West by-election | 14 October 2021 | ||||
| Bryn by-election | 25 November 2021 | ||||
| Ashton by-election | 15 December 2022 | ||||
| Leigh South by-election | 4 July 2024 | ||||